Karse stories
The Valdemar Anthologies have created handfuls of stories set in Karse, enemy of Valdemar (nation), a country pledged to the god Vkandis but held in thrall by corrupt priests. The modern day ascension of Solaris, the first true Son of the Sun in generations, is a turning point in Karsite history. In the Valdemar Wiki, these stories are tagged as Karse stories. (See Karse stories category list.) Novels * Storm Warning, Mage Storms series, volume 1 * Storm Rising, Mage Storms series, volume 2 * Storm Breaking, Mage Storms series, volume 3 Anthologies * Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 1 (1997) * Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 2 (2003) * Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 3 (2005) * Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 4 (2008) * Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 5 (2009) * Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 6 (2010) * Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 7 (2011) * No True Way: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 8 (2014) * Crucible: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 9 (2015) * Tempest: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 10 (2016) * Pathways: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, Volume 11 (2017) Early stories *"An Unexpected Guest" by Nancy Asire, Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 4 - a woman finds a badly beaten man at the side of the road and brings him to her village priest *"The Cat Who Came to Dinner" by Nancy Asire, Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 2 - faithful village priest Reulan is adopted by a cat who encourages him to pilgrimage to Sunhame False Sons era * "The Feast of the Children" by Nancy Asire, Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 3 - Under Son of the Sun Hanovar, talents are no longer celebrated but instead are questioned as ungodly and subject to purging in the fires. A zealous new priest has been assigned to a village conduct the yearly examination of children for mage talent. A village that has been concealing their gifted children sends them away, but their transparently honest priest must lie for them. *"What Fire Is" by Janni Lee Simner in Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 4 - hundreds of years before Solaris, village boy Tamar manifests fire, and a girl with foresight, Cara, warns him to conceal it. Both are selected for priestly training in Sunhame, but a year later Cara's talent is revealed. When she is painfully burning at the stake, he gives her a merciful death by immolating her. Tamar's talent is praised, and at the next burning is ordered to light the fire. Instead, he clutches the torch and immolates himself. He sees Vkandis and cries out, “What took you so long?” And my God spoke to me at last. “Have you not read your writ, Tamar? I cannot interfere with the free will of my people, not until the fate of the very world is at stake.” Why should it take a whole world to move Him? Cara had died. Wasn’t that enough? “Aren’t our lives enough?” I knew that if Vkandis withdrew his hand, I would burn forever, but still I cried out, “What kind of God are you?” “Indeed,” Vkandis said, and his smile was terribly sad. “So what are you going to do about it? What choice will you make now?” The boy does not take Vkandis' hand, instead choosing to become fire itself. * "Sunlancer" by Philip M. Austin and Mercedes Lackey, Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 1 - a visiting 'scholar' asks a Captain of the Temple Lancers if priests are doing miracles or just ordinary magic and healing, and about child-purging. The soldier's niece tells him a prophetic dream. At the next cleansing, he must decide what to do. *"Be Careful What You Wish For" by Nancy Asire, Changing the World, Anthologies, volume 5 - a Herald born in Karse sneaks across the border to visit his cousin, but is captured by bandits. Solaris Era * "A Brand from the Burning" by Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox, No True Way, Anthologies, volume 8 - as a child, Solaris goes to Sunhame, where the corrupt Lastern is elected Son of the Sun. * "Ordinary Miracles" by Rebecca Fox in Pathways: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 11 - in the fifth year of Lastern's term, a miracle heralds the return of a true Son of the Sun. Orphan Kip's dream foretells an injured white lady; the cat who has been his friend for many years encourages him. When he finds an injured Companion, he begins to stare into her eyes, mentally tumbling, but the cat jumps in between them and yowls authoritatively, interrupting it. * "The Ones She Couldn't Save" by Louisa Swann in Tempest, Anthologies, volume 10 - in the time after Alberich was Chosen, a Karse girl with foresight has concealed her talent by pretending to be mentally disabled for all the years since it manifested during a fever. She sometimes is able to help without revealing her talent when she foresees tragedy, but not always. One day a terrifying vision shows a fancy wagon with everyone lying dead on the ground around it. She knows nobody in the village will believe her. She sneaks away at night to find the wagon and stop it from coming to the village, but is surprised by what she finds. * "Vkandis' Own" by Ben Ohlander, Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 1 - as a red-robed priest, Solaris is drafted into assisting a Colonel's troops in a battle at the Karse-Hardorn border. She constantly argues with the black robes, and ducks one trying to blackmail her into sex. But she puts her foot down at the gruesome Battle Tithe, in which wounded soldiers will be burned alive. *"Strength and Honor" by Ben Ohlander in Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 3 - Colonel takes his troops against evil black robes fighting for coup of priesthood (which would kill red-robe Solaris); priests in this town use peasants in fires to summon something awful. * "Dawn of a New Age" by Dylan Birtolo Tempest, Anthologies, volume 10 - in the time when Solaris will be crowned, word gets out that a Karse shopkeeper is gay and he is pursued around town as he runs for his life. Firecat Hansa leads him to rescue a talented girl, Jocelyn, who is scheduled for the fires. * "Harmless as Serpents" by Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox in Tempest: All-New Tales of Valdemar'', 'Anthologies, volume 10 - in the time after Solaris became Son of the Sun and survived an assassination attempt, an egotistical young Companion Kenisant sends himself on Search. A Karse village priest Ponius flees a demon created by a red robe, while lay Brother Junchan tracks Ponius to protect him per Solaris' orders. * "Sun in Glory" by Mercedes Lackey, Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 2 - Solaris as Son of the Sun chooses Talia to become a sunpriest. Judge Perran Miniseries The era of this miniseries by Nancy Asire is unclear. The judge is not a priest and makes no threats associated with the False Sons era, but Solaris is not mentioned. Due to the calm and law-abiding proceedings, it is suspected to predate the False Sons. Any observations from readers are welcome. *"Lack of Vision" by Nancy Asire, Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 6 *"Judgment Day" by Nancy Asire, Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 7 * "Unexpected Meeting" by Nancy Asire, Tempest: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 10 * "Discovery" by Nancy Asire, Pathways: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 11 See also * Books by chronological order * Chronological order of books: expanded edition * Books by publication order * Books by series Category:Miniseries Category:Karse stories